friends will be friends
by Heather8008
Summary: After the loss of Ianto and Stephen jack runs away, but finds himself with the one person who has been there, bought the t-shirt, worn the t-shirt the one person who has loved and lost and can gulid him away from the dark pit of his soul, The doctor.
1. Chapter 1

Friends will be friends.

Chapter 1

Jack stood on top of a hill, he hadn't felt so alone in such a long time. He had come to Earth to say goodbye to the last of his family, Gwen Williams nee Cooper.

A woman who had been his confidante, his conscience, his heart, not in the way Ianto had but still, Ianto...it still hurt so much to think about him even after six months.

Above all else Gwen had been his friend and his sister and yes he loved her and she loved him just not in the way that....Ianto, it all came back to Ianto.

He had lost so much. Grey, Suzie, Owen, Tosh, Ianto, Stephen, he'd lost them all. Even his home, there was nothing left for him on this planet

He was beginning to think Gwen wasn't coming when he heard a car stop and voices coming towards him.

He smiled as he saw Gwen and Reece walking towards him.

"Bloody freezing! My feet..." Reece added standing just a little bit behind Gwen giving her a chance to talk to her friend.  
"Oh I miss that, the Welsh complaining."

Turning back to Gwen he smiled, "You look good."  
Jack tried to make light of why he had asked them to meet him. In all there hearts it they knew it was good bye  
"I look huge" Gwen replied Reece chuckled looking at Jack for once he was going to agree with him.

"She looks bloody gorgeous!" The three of them laughed softy no matter how much the three of them tried there was no making this easier.

Gwen walked closer to Jack. "You, ok?" She asked watching Jack. She had never seen him looking so sad, so alone.  
"Yeah," Jack replied. Gwen knew it was a lie, but didn't press him on it. Instead she just asked him, "Did it work?"

Traveled all kinds of places but this planet, it's too small. Your world, it's like a grave yard."

Gwen understood what Jack was saying and he was right. All the people they had lost, they tried to save but had not been able to. She knew what his answer would be but she had to try.  
"Come back with us." She asked watching Jacks face the sadness in his normally bright eyes darkling even more.

"Haven't travelled far enough yet, got a lot of dirt to shake off my shoes and right now, there's coal fusion cushier surfing the iron reefs just on the edge of the solar system, just waiting to open it's transport dock I just need to send a signal."

Gwen placed a finger up asking telling him to hold on a second reached into her pocket.

"We found it in the wreckage, indisputable like his owner, brought a new strap for you."

Reece could feel the tension "Cost me 50 pound that!"

"Bill me!" Jack called out he would miss the banter but would never admit it.

"Are you ever coming back Jack?" Gwen asked not wanting to know the answer though her heart, she all ready knew.

Jack hated being this hard but he knew it had to be done.

"What for?" He asked he tried to be has cold has he could but he could 't.

"Me." Jack looked into Gwen's eyes has they filled with tears he fought back his own the hurt they had both felt, the loss.

Gwen had to fight to get her point her across though she knew it was falling on deaf ears.

"It wasn't your fault!" Jack shook his head closing his eyes to stop the tears.

"I think it was." Gwen's tears fell freely now has she shook her head.

"No" she whispered In all of Jack life's a group of people had never touched him has much has torchwood had and in his own mind he had murdered them by showing them this world.

"Stephen, Ianto, Owen, Tosh, Suzie and..." Gwen Started to shake her head again "All of them, because of me!"

Gwen had to keep trying she couldn't give up.

"You saved us, didn't you?" She asked but Jacks face stayed like stone. He wanted to just hug her, to stay to help her, with the baby, to be there, and after she had the baby to restart again, but he knew it would never be the same again. He knew she would end up hating him but it had to be done.

"I started to like it, look what I became. Still I have lived so many life's, it's time to find enouger one."

Stepping back Jack started to send the signal, Gwen knew she had no time she had to give it one last sort.

"But, they died and I am sorry Jack, but you can not just run away, can not run away."

At that point Jack wanted to step out of the beam but it was to late he could feel him self being pulled up towards the sky.

"Oh yes I can, Just watch me!" With that Jack Harkness was taken up to the ship thankfully, he didn't see Gwen break down in tears.

He landed with a thump looking around and gasped. This wasn't the coal ship, but it was a ship he knew.

A gentle humming, the whiteness of the walls, the hint of a soft green light and then a voice, a voice he knew so well talking softy to the ship.

A tall skinny man in a brown pin striped suit and bumper shoes walking around pressing buttons and pushing leavers.

"Doctor?" Jack whispered softy the man lifted his head up from the area where he was working his jaw dropping and his eyes narrowing.

"WHAT?" Jack thought his head was about to explode he felt his knees turn to jelly.

"Doctor!" Jack's voice started to go in to a sob, The Doctor looked shocked at Jack his face both shocked and happy to see his friend but worried at the sadness, hurt, and darkness in Jacks eyes.

"WHAT, HOW, BUT, WHAT!" Jack couldn't take it any more his knees give way.

He dropped to the floor of the Tardis his heart breaking, the tears flowing freely.

He made himself in to a ball letting out a scream has the Doctor rushed to his side.

The Doctor took off his jacket putting it round Jack, and put an arm round him rocking him "Shh come on, calm down Jack, Jack What's happened?"


	2. Chapter 2

Friends will be friends.

Chapter 2

Jack sobbed into The Doctors chest, shaking, months of hurt, anger, sadness, pain, loss, suffering all coming out.

"I've murdered them, killed them all, it's all my fault, I'm a killer, just like Ianto said, I'm a monster!."

The Doctor pushed Jack so he could face him, puzzlement on The Doctors face.

"Jack take a moment and start from the best place to start, the beginning, Now what's happened?"

Jack looked at The Doctor then punched him in the face "WHERE WAS YOU? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WHEN WE NEEDED YOU? WHERE THE HELL WAS YOU?"

"OWWWWWWW, Jack!" The Doctor placed his hands up to cover his face has Jack hit out at him again.

The Doctor grabbed Jacks wrists holding them tight looking into Jacks eyes saw the dark pit that he to had himself once been in.

"Jack I wasn't able to land on earth for months! Something was blocking me. Every time I tried to land on earth I found myself on Pluto, spent months on a planet with dogs with no noses, not been able to get in contact with any one. Not with you, Mickey, Martha, not with Sarah-Jane, UNIT, or the government, no one. This is the first time I got close to Earth in six months, Jack what has been going on?"

Jacks look softened the 4 5 6 must have known The Doctor would have come would have done what ever it took to get to earth and in his heart Jack knew that if he had been able to, The Doctor would have got there.

Jack felt a new wave of guilt for blaming The Doctor and because he had not even thought of contacting Sarah-Jane to check on how Luke was.

"From the beginning...ok well..." Jack told the Doctor of how the government had planted a bomb in him and blown him apart, how he had to regrow bone and skin, muscle and tissue.

How he had been buried in concrete, how the 4 5 6 had wanted to use earths children has drugs, how they had wanted to get high on the children's life essence, how he had lost both Ianto and Stephen, how and why he had, had to murder his own grandson, even to the way he had just left Gwen.

By the time Jack had finished The Doctor looked repulsed.

"I am sorry Jack, So very sorry. It explains why I wasn't able to get to earth, believe me Jack I was trying...I'm sorry about Ianto I remember him from the day the earth was moved he seemed brave."

Jack nodded "He was...I'm sorry about hitting you I was..." The doctor jumped up, his boyish smile returning and started pushing buttons.

"Don't be, forgotten, now where to?" Jack came standing at the side of the Doctor

"I would like to find the 4 5 6. Give them a peace of my mind!." Jack said helping the doctor push buttons.

"Doctor?" The Doctor lifted his head up and looked almost knowing what the next question was.

"Is this what it's like for you, is this what you felt when you lost Rose?"

The Doctor at first didn't stop pushing the buttons, didn't look up. Jack carried on looking at him, waiting for his reply, in the end the doctor looked up softly and simply said "Yeah, and Martha and Donna and my home planet, Rose more so but Jack... it was not your fault, don't do what I was doing the first time we met, the anger and hated. It, It will eat you up inside, you will truly become a monster, do you think Ianto will want you to do that? That one day you can no longer look at yourself in the mirror because you have become something you hate?" Jack shook his head. The Doctor sat in one of the chairs looking up at Jack.

"The pain and loss never gets any easer, I won't lie and sugarcoat it, I won't tell you, oh in time it heals and gets better because it doesn't, not a day doesn't go by where I don't think about people I've lost, Jack this isn't and won't be the first time you feel loss and I'm sorry to say specially in your case it's not going to be the last, I know it feels like I'm saying move on and get over it but I'm not, fight for the people you love but always remember when to stop. I guess..." The Doctor smiled remembering something Donna had said when they had first met "Your like me, you just need someone to tell you when to stop."

"Ianto was that person to me." Jack said looking at The Doctor, The Doctor turned sighing.

"Yeah...Rose...Rose was that person for me." They both give each other a knowing look before falling quiet.


	3. Chapter 3

Friends will be friends.

Chapter 3

Months past, Jack stayed with the Doctor but Jack was a more sombre man, more quiet, more humble and The Doctor didn't like it. It wasn't, wasn't Jack.

Yes Jack was starting to smile again, starting to laugh, like The Doctor had after Rose but the smile never reached Jacks eyes, Jacks eyes looked dead, the lights was on but no body was home.

The Doctor worried for his friend, He knew what became of Jack, he knew what Jack was to become, the Face of Boe.

Jack was working on something they had found on one of there trips when a blip came up on a radar.

"Hello! What do we have here?" The Doctor said to himself looking at the screen Jack came back into the room.

"Problem?" Jack asked standing at the side of The Doctor. The Doctor frowned tapping the sonic screwdriver on his chin.

"I don't know yet, something just…it's like there was a blip in time. Like some one or something that isn't meant to be there is there."

"You mean some one like me?" Jack asked puzzled has he looked at the screen.

The Doctor took off his glasses rubbing the bridge of his nose, this was wrong, frowning pulling out his Psychic paper, a message came on it.

"PLEASE DOCTOR, JACK IF YOUR THERE PLEASE HELP!" Jack read the message and then looked at The Doctor giving an questioning look.

"The blip is in Cardiff." The Doctor said softly Jack started to feel sick, his blood running cold, his head started to spin and the colour drained out of him.

"Jack are you ready to go back? If your not I can go alone."

Jack sighed "No, but if something bad is happening I can't leave Gwen to face it on her own. I don't even know if she has had the baby, then there is Ianto's sister I promised I would look after her and her family. Lets do this then Doctor."

The Doctor smiled, "That's the Jack Harkness I know, right then, off we go!"

The Tardis landed The Doctor stepped out Jack coming after. Jack froze they was stood on a jetty.

He looked down he could just make out a door, a tourist information door.

He felt tears building up again, The Doctor watched has Jack walked over to the door placing his hands on it, has if listing for something from behind it. Memory's came running back to him.

_Ianto Jones stood in front of the door holding a mug of coffee, wearing blue jeans, a white shirt, and black jacket. _

"_Morning!" he said cheerfully and looking very pleased with him self that he had found Torchwood "coffee?" He asked holding the mug out to Jack._

_Jack walked with Gwen introducing the team one by one "And this is Ianto Jones, He cleans up after us and gets us every where on time."_

_Ianto smiled, Jack thought he saw him blush. "I try my best."_

_Jack couldn't resist, "And he looks good in a suit!" Yep Ianto blushed…Bless._

"_Careful Sir that's harassment"_

_Standing in the morgue "Well think about it, lots of things you can do with a stop watch."_

_Jack laughed "Oh yeah, I can thing of a few."_

_Ianto smiled back "There's quite a list." _

_Jack sat at his desk looking at papers that had come out of the tin sent by Torchwood 1918, he heard soft footsteps walking towards him. Jack didn't need to look up to know who it was. _

"_This time tomorrow he'll be back in 1918." Ianto stood for a second just watching him._

"_In his own time, would you go back to yours? If you Could?"_

_Jack wondered why Ianto had asked that, he had already told him more than once he had come back for him. "Why? would you miss me?"_

_Ianto lowered his head "Yep." Ianto started walking towards Jack, Jack sighed._

"_I left home a long time ago, don't know where I really belong. Maybe that doesn't really matter any more."_

_Ianto walked over sitting on the edge of Jacks desk "I…don't you get lonely?"_

"_Going home wouldn't fix that." Jack explained. "Being here, I've seen things I never dreamt I'd see, loved people I'd never would have known if I just stayed where I was." _

_Jack looked at Ianto seeing Ianto nod his head and lower his eyes thinking he wasn't talking about him, thinking Jack was talking about The Doctor, or Gwen, or some one else._

_Ianto had grown so much in the year he had been away, the year that never was, but still every so often Ianto still showed a side of him that was scared, unsure, felt like he himself didn't fit in, didn't belong._

_Jack some how made it that their eyes met, "I wouldn't change that for the world." The two looked at each other for a second before Ianto leaned in kissing Jack, passionately._

Jack sighed still so much pain earth still felt like a graveyard to him.

"Jack?" The doctor asked watching his friend.

"I'm ok Doctor, It's just ever where I look I see him." The Doctor placed a hand on Jack shoulder guiding him to a bench they sat there for a second just watching the water in the bay, neither saying anything.

A noise came from above them, some one walking. Jack took out his gun, The Doctor seeing the gun gave him an unimpressed look and made a movement with his hand in away that told Jack to lower it.

"Could just be tourists" he whispered, Jack nodded lowering the gun but didn't put it away. The sound got closer, behind them.

Jack and The Doctor turned round, a young woman stood in front of them. She was tall and slim, wearing pale blue jeans, a black top, with knee high boots and a black and red leather jacket. She had short black hair with blue eyes that Jack had seen before but not on her, that look she was giving them he knew all to well but how was this possible.

"Doctor? Jack Harkness?" She asked stepping forward a little more asked The Doctor and Jack looked at each other.

"Whose asking?" Jack asked bringing his gun back up a little the woman looked at Jack and The Doctor.

"My name is K.C Jones, no time to explain, please we need you!"


End file.
